WORRIED residents have started a campaign against plans to build hundreds of new homes on a caravan park.

Thorney Bay park, off Thorney Bay Road, Canvey, is currently filled with 1,000 caravans, but could accommodate 800 new homes.

Site owner Jeff King intends to lodge an outline planning application with Castle Point Council in early December.

But residents in existing homes near the site have launched a campaign to pressure councillors to reject the scheme.

Janice Payne, a Canvey Independent Party councillor, said: “A group of residents opposed to the plans have printed leaflets and started posting them through people’s doors.

“They want to make sure as many people as possible know what’s going on.

“Speaking personally, it looks like there would be a lot of new homes down there and I hope the council intends to ensure there will be sufficient infrastructure improvements to accommodate that.

“I would be concerned about things like whether the drainage system could cope, as well as schools and doctors’ surgeries.”

It is expected the application will be considered by councilllors in March next year.

Residents will get a chance to have their say on the outline plans, during consultation sessions at the Paddocks Community Hall, Long Road, Canvey, on Thursday from 11am to 4pm and Friday from 11am to 8pm.

Mr King said he was currently unable to confirm exactly how many new homes would be built on the site, because the final figure needed to be negotiated with council planning officers.

No official figure has been published in the consultation document, but Mr King estimated in the past Thorney Bay could accommodate 800 homes.

The businessman, who also hopes to build an assisted living and nursing home for older people, said: “I don’t want to say too much about the application at the moment.

“However, I would ask people to go along to the consultation meetings, ask any questions they want and get a response from my representatives who really know what we want to do there – rather than listen to scaremongering from certain residents, who probably don’t know what they are talking about.”

More details on the plans are available at tinyurl.com/6p8xubg